Surveyor&#39;s rod.



No. 727,151. PATENTED MAY a, "1903.

- w. L. E. KBUFPEL,

SURVEYORS ROD. v APlfLIOATION FILED 0013.4. 1902.

H0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented May 5, 1903.

. PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIE L. E. KEUFFEL, OF HOBOKE NEw JERSEY, ASSIGN'OR, TO THE KEUFFEL & ESSER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

s'u RVEYORS ROD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 727,151, dated May 5, 1903.

Application filed October 4, 1902, Serial No. 125,886. (No model.)

To aZZ whom itjmcty concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIE L. E. KEUEEEL, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SurveyorsRods, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of surveyors rods constructed of a plurality of relatively adjustable sections whereby the rod may be extended as required in use or folded for convenience in carrying or transporting the same.

The invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction, substantially as hereinafterdescribed, and particularlyset forth in the subjoined claims.

The general object of the invention is to provide a rod, comprising a series of telescop ing or sliding sections having'means whereby when all the sections are extended and the sections clamped together one long rod is the result and with means for clamping the sections together, whereby each section may be moved with respect to its adjacent section and clamped at any point, which will be of most simple, durable, and practical construction and be most easily and readily extended or contracted; and an especial object of the invention is to provide a rod of the type stated which provides for the employment of three sections without requiring that any of the same, including the third or uppermost one, be mounted in a groove formed in the wood of either of the othersections. Inother words, the particular object of the invention is to provide a surveyors rod having a maxi; mum range of extensibilty which will be of light weight and simple construction and avoid the liability of sticking and Wabbling of the sections when the wood swells and shrinks, which is always present when any of the sections are set in grooves cut in another section.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front plan view of the rod broken away at a portion of its length and with the sections only slightly extended. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof graduated face 25.-

looking from the right. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof looking from the left. Fig. 4 is a rear plan view thereof. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the connections between one pair of rod-sections. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the connections between another pair of the rod-sections. Fig.7 is a transverse section through one of the clamps.

In the drawings, 1 is the front section of, the rod, provided at its bottom with a rearwardly-extending foot-piece 11 and terminating in a U-shaped shoe 12, secured to the saidfoot-piece by suitable means, as screws 1313. Its vertical sides 14 14 extend slightly in front of its graduated face. 15., thus afiiording bearings for the flanges 52 of the sliding clamp 5, connecting it tothe middle section 2 of the rod. At its top it is provided on each side with U-shaped guides 16 16, each firmly secured to one of the vertical sides 14 14 and projecting rea'rwardly' beyond the same to engage longitudinal grooves 22 in the vertical sides 24 of the middle section 2. It is also provided with a stop-17, adapted to abut against a'lug 26, secured to the middle section 2, whereby the further upward motion of the latter is prevented. 1

The middle section 2 of the rod is provided at its bottom with a rearwardly-extending foot-piece 21, adapted to abut against the upper surface 18 of the foot-piece 11 of the front sect-ion 1. It is longitudinally grooved at 22 to receive the flanges of the clamp 6, securing it to the rear section 3 and the U-s'haped guides 16. At its top it is providedwith a U-shaped strap 23, firmly secured to its vertical sides 24 and projecting rearwardly beyond it, encircling the rear section 3. Its vertical sides 24 project slightly in front of its On one side it is provided with a lug 26, adapted to be brought in con-. tact with the stop 17 on section 1, as above stated.

The rear section 3 is adapted topass between the rear closed portion of the U -shaped strap 23 and the rear of-the middle section 2. It is provided at its top with a similar U- shaped strap 31, adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the strap 23 when section 3 is in its lowest position, and on one of its sides is placed a stop-lug 32, which being brought into contact with the-lower edge of the strap 23 prevents the further upward movement of this section.

Particular attention is called to the fact that neither the third section 3 nor any of the other sections of the rod are set in a groove formed in an adjacent section and that the connection of the several sections with each other is such that the swelling or shrinking of the wood under the influence of climatic conditions will not cause any of the sections either to bind or be loose, wherebya fruitful source of trouble experienced with this type of rod is eliminated.

The clamp 5, (shown in section in Fig. 7,) securing the connection between the sections 1 and 2, consists of a U-shaped strap 51, provided with flanges 52, which lap over and engage the vertical sides 14 14 of section 1. The transverse member of the strap is provided witha threaded yoke 53, adapted to receive a thumbscrew 54, the rotation of which tends to press its point against the rear of the footpiece 21, and thus clamp it to the section 1. Twogu-ide-posts encircled by coiled springs 55 serve to maintain a constant tension between the flanges 52 and sides 14 14 and proventslipping. The clamp 6 is of the same construction.

By reason of the above construction I can make a rod of the usual length of a surveyors rod when extended, but one which will close up to about four feet four inches, which makes it. very compact and overcomes the objections of having a long rod difficult to carry through woods and brush or too long to carry intoa street or railroad car.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. A surveyors rod composed of three sections of which the lower and upper ones are located at opposite faces of the middle section, said middle section having its opposite sides grooved longitudinally, guiding means projecting from the lower section and engaging said grooves and a clamping and releasing means carried by the upper section and also engaged with said grooves.

2. A surveyors-rod composed of three sections of which the lower and upper ones are located on the opposite faces of the middle section, said middle section having 1ongitudinally-grooved sides, means adjustable to clamp the lower and middle sections together, a guiding means at the upper end of the lower section having laterally-bent ends which take into said grooves in the middle section, a

. clamp'for securing the upper section adj ustably to said middle section said clamp having flanges engaging the grooves in said middle section, and a guide projecting from said middle section and engaging said upper section.

3. The combination in a surveyors rod of a plurality of sections,and means for adj ustably connecting any two adjacent sections and se- 4. The combination, in a surveyors rod, of

a plurality of sections, and means for adj ustably connecting any two adjacent sections and securing them in place after adjustment, embracing a clamp having a strap mounted upon one section and having projecting portions engaged with the other section, a tightening-screw and interposed spring, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a surveyors rod,of a plurality of relatively adjustable sections one of which has longitudinally-groovedsidbs, guiding means carried by one section and having ends projecting intosaid'grooves, and a clamp having ends projecting into said grooves and also having a tightening-screw.

6. The combination, in a-surveyors rod, of a plurality of relatively adjustable sections, one of which has longitudinally-grooved sides, guiding means carried by one section and having ends projecting intosaidgroove, and a clamp having ends projecting into said grooves and also having a tightening-screw and an interposed spring.

7. The combination, in'a surveyors rod, of

a plurality of relatively adjustable sections 8. The combination, in a surveyors rod, of

a plurality of relatively adjustable sections mounted one upon the other and each having a laterally-projecting lower end, one of said sections having longitudinally-grooved sides, straps projecting from-one section and having flanges engaging the grooves of the other section, and a clamp for securing said sections in relatively adjusted position, said clamp comprising a U-shaped strap having flanges engaged with one section, a tightening-screw carried by the closed end of said strap and bearing against the laterally-projecting lower end of the adjustable section, posts between the closed end of said strap and said laterallyprojecting ends, and springs on said posts.

9. The combination, in a surveyors rod, of three relatively adjustable sections the upper and lower of which are mounted on opposite faces of a middle section, said middle section having longitudinally-grooved sides, a clamp for securing the middle section adj ustably on IIQ stops for, limiting the adjustments of the sev- Io I eral sections.

' -Witness my hand this 29th day of Septem ber, 1902, at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York.

WILLIE L. E. KEUFFEL.

OSCAR WIENER,

- Witnesses:

- OTTO FREUND. 

